ROCKET SCIENCE: John launches Laura into jury

“The Day of Reckoning” Galu members try to regroup following Russell’s shocking Tribal Council, but plans to try and outwit Russell prove fruitless once he finds yet another Hidden Immunity Idol and manages to turn yet another Galu against his former alliance.Survivor: Russell Hantz

Mark Burnett would have been better off renaming this season Survivor: Russell Hantz, because up until about 3 weeks ago he was the only good thing going for this season, and now thanks to him, since the merge this is shaping up as one of the best seasons of Survivor ever. It’s not as if he’s dominating the game like Brian Heidik, Terry Deitz, or Tom Westman did, but he is making the most out of his opportunities better than perhaps anyone else that has played this game. This week it was using an 8 second video clip to locate his third Hidden Immunity Idol, and he also did a great job playing his instincts by distrusting Monica and approaching John. On top of that, he’s got Shambo and Natalie (and, to a lesser extent, Mick and Jaison) doing the dirty work he can’t do.

Why Laura sucked

Laura’s closing remarks were hilarious – she felt like she made a mistake winning two Immunity Idols in a row? She really thinks she had a good enough game plan to where it would have been better to not win them? Especially considering she knew Shambo’s entire existence in the game was devoted to getting rid of her? The people doing well in this game are the people who are staying true to their alliance while reaching out to players outside of their alliance: Russell, John, Natalie, Mick, & Jaison. It’s nice to stick to your guns and stay true to your alliance, but the game is completely different once the merge hits and if you do not adjust accordingly you will be left in the dust, and that’s exactly what happened to Laura (as well as Kelly before her). But the worst thing about Laura was that sour puss face she kept making as her game crumbled around her. Good riddance.

Hidden Immunity Idol = brilliant

It’s nice to see the Hidden Immunity Idol being used like it is – it’s been much more visible and much more accessible. Of course this could just be because of Russell’s skill, but it seems like it’s had a much higher profile in the game than in seasons past. In past seasons it has been a struggle for people to even decode the clues, much less find it, and it diminished its role in the game.

Dave dumbfounded

Dave has, hands down, the best shocked Tribal Council vote look we’ve seen in Survivor. He looks simultaneously like he’s been punched in the gut and the face and can’t wait to call up his BFF to talk about it.

Decoding next episode’s preview

The preview for next week tries to suggest that Shambo is masterminding an alliance and/or vote, with the assumed implication that she’s gunning for Russell. We’re not falling for it – it’s seems obvious that Shambo is a tagalong that other players have no problem patronizing. We also can’t see her turning on Russell yet – she has done nothing to this point that would suggest she is playing her own game. So not only are we guessing she’s not gunning for Russell (or at least will not be successful if she is), we’re guessing she could either be doing his bidding or putting up a smokescreen for him. The edit that Russell is getting indicates he’s in for the long haul, and we can’t believe a klutzy doofus like Shambo would have anything to do with it if he isn’t.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Share them in the comments below!